Pincher Martin

In 1918 a group of RNAS convalescents were based at St. John’s Rooms at Abbeydale, when it was being used as a VAD hospital In recognition of their time together they all signed a hand-drawn card, which is part of the Dore Heritage Collection material.
(Originally donated by Bill Glossop in 2010.) 

One of the names at the top of the card is Pincher Martin. William Golding, most famous for his novel, ‘The Lord of the Flies’, also wrote a story in 1956 about a sailor who was torpedoed during the Second World War, called Pincher Martin. 

This coincidence led to further research. William Golding lived latterly in Cornwall, so it is plausible that he could have met our Naval hero should he have come from that area. Alternately, in the Navy anyone who has the surname Martin is called Pincher after a famous Commander –in- Chief, Mediterranean, of the 1860’s, who was known to be very alert.